An aviation technician has been sentenced to 60 days’ probation after having a blood alcohol content of 1.12‰ on the job. He is the first flight technician to have been convicted of such an offense.
The man was called in to fix a scratch on a Wizz airplane at Torp Airport in Sandefjord in January.
The night before, the 53-year-old Hungarian celebrated her sister’s pregnancy. He also drank some beer before being called to work.
“When he was called up, he found out that there was a scratch that needed to be repaired. He considered that it was such a small repair that he could do it anyway, even though he had drunk alcohol,” wrote District Court Judge Siri Vigmostad in the Vestfold District Court verdict.
Historical verdict
Last year it was decided that aviation technicians should also be affected by the ban on working in a drug-affected condition.
According to NRK, the man is the first flight technician to be convicted of being under the influence of alcohol at duty.
According to the judgment, the damage did not pose any risk for safety, but had to be repaired as the aircraft had to be in full condition before take-off. The repair was simple and did not require any technical knowledge.
Possible appeal
The man gave an unreserved confession and was sentenced to 60 days in prison with a two-year probation. In Hungary, the man lost his license for one month and had to pay a fine of about 3,000 kroner.
“As this case is new, the court may be a little cautious in judging the person too harshly before getting a ruling,” the man’s lawyer, Søren Hellenes, told NRK.
The prosecutor’s office has filed a petition for unconditional imprisonment for 120 days. It is not yet decided whether the unanimous verdict will be appealed. The lawyer for the police, Lise Læret Gunnerød, did not want to comment on the case to NRK, but she did not hide her disagreement with the verdict.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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